Nairobi, May 7,
2018--Authorities in Burundi should immediately lift a six-month licensing
suspension imposed on radio broadcasts of the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) and Voice of America (VOA), the Committee to Protect Journalists said
today. Burundi's National Communication Council (CNC), the media industry
regulator, on May 4 accused the two stations of breaching the country's media
laws and professional ethics and ordered the stations' licensing suspended,
according to a statement from
the regulator. A government agency that regulates telecommunication
subsequently turned off their signals, according to media
reports.

The media regulator accused the BBC of broadcasting "exaggerated,
non-verified, defamatory" comments made by a Brussels-based activist that
were harmful to the reputation of Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza during
an April 24 broadcast of the French-language program L'invité de la
Semaine, according to CNC Chairman Ramadhan Karenga who spoke to CPJ and a
report by The EastAfrican newspaper.

In its statement, the CNC also claimed that on four different occasions in April, VOA aired
content that lacked balance, fell short of rigorous verification of sources,
and prejudiced Burundi's relations with the United Nations. The U.S.
government-funded station is also facing allegations from the media regulator
of hiring a journalist sought by Burundian law enforcement and partnering with
Bonesha FM, a local station that has been banned by the government, according
to Karenga and the report by The
EastAfrican.

The BBC and
VOA suspension, which became effective today, comes before a May 17constitutional
referendum that, if passed, could extend Nkurunziza's rule to
2034. Two journalists who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for their
security told CPJ that the bans were attempts by the government to silence
critical voices ahead of the referendum.

"These
actions are a transparent attempt to silence the media during this politically
sensitive period, when Burundians are in most urgent need of information to
make important political decisions," said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator
Angela Quintal from New York. "It is not too late to rethink this
ill-informed decision and the regulator should immediately lift the suspension
and allow the press to operate freely."

Karenga told
CPJ that the decision to suspend the media outlets had nothing to do with the
upcoming referendum but was about ensuring stations meet regulatory standards,
especially with regard to balance. He added that the stations had the
opportunity to appeal directly to the regulator or to the courts.

The VOAcondemned the
suspension and said its content would be "available in Kirundi and
Kinyarwanda via shortwave channels, on the Internet and on FM transmitters
located in neighboring countries." In a separate statement to CPJ, the VOA
said that it was "exploring legal options that would permit its
broadcasting operations to reopen in Burundi as quickly as possible."

In an emailed
statement, the BBC told CPJ that it was "disappointed" by the
government action and said it would respond appropriately against "any
broadcast" found to be falling short of "strict editorial
guidelines."

The CNC also
issued warnings in the May 4 statement to Radio France International (RFI) and
two local, privately owned radio stations, Isanganiro and CCIB-FM Plus. RFI was
accused of broadcasting dishonest reports about the referendum. The CNC said
that the two local radio stations failed to verify sources in their reporting
and did not stick to the programming schedule they had submitted to the
regulator.

Yves Rocle,
Africa director of RFI, told CPJ that he was not precisely sure of the
accusations facing the station but "apparently" a guest's comments
displeased the CNC, though he did not specify which guest.

CPJ could not
reach CCIB-FM Plus or Isanganiro for comment.

Burundi once
had a
robust press but the media environment has become hostilein
recent years. Between April 2015 and August 2015, at least 100 Burundian
journalists fled into exile, following attacks, threats and intimidation during
a political crisis that included an attempted coup, accordingto
CPJ research.